A turnaround moment for higher education?

- an Australian perspective -

Good ideas with no ideas on how to implement them are wasted ideas

 Geoff ScottPVC Quality, UWS

Focus

• A turnaround moment for higher education?• Opportunity and excellence: growth & quality• ‘Good ideas’ and the capacity to deliver them• Change doesn’t happen – it must be led• Internationalisation – what is it and how do we

manage risk in this area? • The role of universities in addressing key issues

of social, economic & environmental sustainability

A turnaround moment for higher education in Australia

External change forces

GFC, climate change, new players, exit baby boomers, IT revolution, fractious divisions

HE Specific change forces

User pays - students as consumers, International student market, new sources of income, TEQSA, Compacts, increased diversity, growth with quality and high standards

Implications

New role for universities - opportunity and excellence, sustainability, practical judgement, growth and capacity to deliver with high quality, more change capable & deft

OpportunityUWS QM framework for student transition & retention

ExcellenceTertiary Education Quality & Standards Agency (TEQSA)

Proportionate risk & a new approach to quality

• Provider standards• Qualification standards• L&T standards• Information standards• Research standards

1. Design

2. Support3. Delivery

4. Impact

The ‘what’: the UWS Academic standards framework

4. Impact

UWS Academic Standards and Assessment FrameworkFor Learning and Teaching

4. Impact – Academic Learning Standards • Validation

• Retention• Assessment Quality• Progression• Employability• Further study

1. Course design standards

· Relevance· Active Learning including

eLearning· Theory-practice links· Expectations clear· Direction & unit links clear· Capabilities that count are

the focus· Learning pathways are

flexible· Assessment is clear,

relevant, reliably marked with helpful feedback

· Staff are capable, responsive & effective teachers

· Support is aligned· Access is convenient

UWS Academic Standards and Assessment FrameworkFor Learning and Teaching

1. Design

4. Impact

4. Impact – Academic Learning Standards

• Validation• Retention• Assessment Quality• Progression• Employability• Further study

2. Support standards

· Orientation· Library· Learning Guide Standards· vUWS & ICT standards· Staff selection & training· Peer support· First year adviser· Learning support standards

1. Course design standards

· Relevance· Active Learning including

eLearning· Theory-practice links· Expectations clear· Direction & unit links clear· Capabilities that count are

the focus· Learning pathways are

flexible· Assessment is clear,

relevant, reliably marked with helpful feedback

· Staff are capable, responsive & effective teachers

· Support is aligned· Access is convenient

UWS Academic Standards and Assessment FrameworkFor Learning and Teaching

1. Design

2. Support

4. Impact

4. Impact – Academic Learning Standards

• Validation• Retention• Assessment Quality• Progression• Employability• Further study

3. Delivery standards

· Staff accessibility, responsiveness and skills

· Consistency and quality of delivery of support systems

· Consistency of delivery of design features

1. Design

2. Support3. Delivery

2. Support standards

· Orientation· Library· Learning Guide Standards· vUWS & ICT standards· Staff selection & training· Peer support· First year adviser· Learning support standards

4. Impact

4. Impact – Academic Learning Standards

• Validation• Retention• Assessment Quality• Progression• Employability• Further study

1. Course design standards

· Relevance· Active Learning including

eLearning· Theory-practice links· Expectations clear· Direction & unit links clear· Capabilities that count are

the focus· Learning pathways are

flexible· Assessment is clear,

relevant, reliably marked with helpful feedback

· Staff are capable, responsive & effective teachers

· Support is aligned· Access is convenient

UWS Academic Standards and Assessment FrameworkFor Learning and Teaching

The ‘how’: key lessons on effective implementation

• Staff - high quality & fit for purpose• Consensus around the data not around the

table• A small number of agreed priorities for

action• Steered engagement • ‘Why don’t we’ not ‘why don’t you’• Change is learning

Change doesn’t just happen – it must be led the Learning Leaders research (n=500)

• Listen, link then lead• Model, teach and learn• A change capable culture is built by change

capable leaders• Everyone is a leader in their own area of expertise

and responsibility• Most challenged when things go wrong – this is

when you learn• Key findings are available for every role

Higher education leadership capability framework

• Helen please insert the five circles

PersonalCapabilities

InterpersonalCapabilities

CognitiveCapabilities

Role-specificCompetencies

GenericCompetencies

Capability

Competency

Internationalisation

• Still a fuzzy concept – much more than ‘the higher education export market’ (now a high risk area?)

• Partnerships– Small in number– Benchmarking for improvement around common

priorities– Two-way, integrated & around multiple links that give

mutual benefit• Use of the local region as a living laboratory for learning

how to work productively with diversity• Social sustainability research

Short CoursesMajors & SubmajorsUndergraduate DegreesPostgraduate CoursesPathways

Implications

• One key strategic priority for follow-up• One area for further clarification

Further reading

• Fullan, M & Scott, G (2009): Turnaround Leadership for higher education, Jossey Bass, San Francisco

• Scott, G (2008): University student engagement & satisfaction, commissioned report to the Bradley Review

• Scott, G, Coates, H & Anderson, M (2008): Learning leaders in times of change, ALTC

• Scott, G & Hawke, I (2003): Using an external quality audit as a lever for institutional change, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Educations, 22 (3)